Most of the personal computers (PCs) and other like computing devices in service today present the user with an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) on a display screen. One type of GUI, which is associated with operating systems, is a “desktop” GUI. Through a desktop GUI a user can interactively select graphical icons, etc., as needed to use the computer's resources. For example, the user might selectively activate a program application, peruse the contents of a data storage device, or perhaps initiate communication with a remotely located computing device. Many of the selections may themselves cause other GUIs to be opened on the desktop and displayed.
There is a movement underway to provide locally located users with the ability to be presented with (and interact with) a desktop or other GUI that is actually associated with another computing device that is remotely located, but operatively connected to a local computing device.
Thus, for example, a user that is located away from their business' PC may nevertheless access the business PC desktop through another PC, such as a home PC that is configured to communicate with the business' PC. Here, the user initiates a remote desktop connection through some program. By way of example, in certain exemplary operating systems a Terminal Services Client program may be used. The remote desktop connection program essentially opens up the business PC's desktop GUI on the home PC's display screen.
In this situation and others like it, many users prefer to have the remote desktop GUI opened up fully on the display screen, such that it more closely resembles the desktop GUI that they normally work with. Thus, in the previous example, the user at home would see his/her business PC's desktop as if he/she were actually at work rather than at home. Providing a full remote desktop display not only provides familiarity to the user, but also prevents users from being confused by the potential of seeing two objects/icons that appear to be the same but are actually associated with different desktop GUIs. Moreover, a substantially full screen remote desktop GUI takes advantage of often precious display screen real estate.
One of the drawbacks to having a full screen remote desktop GUI (or other type of GUI) is that some users may forget which computing device, i.e., local or remote, they are viewing and interacting with. Consequently, inexperienced users may, for example, misplace files and/or quickly become frustrated when they cannot locate certain files/programs.
For these reasons and others, there is a need to provide users with a mechanism to identify which desktop or other like substantially full screen GUI they are viewing and/or interacting with.